Safety shield for bench grinders



March 30, 1943. c PQWERS 2,315,132

SAFETY SHIELD FOR BENCH GRINDERS Filed April 3, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 3 1 w c/wkvb CEDRJC POWER-5 Patented Mar. 30, 1943 SAFETY SHIELD FOR BEN CH GRINDERS Cedric Powers, New Britain, Connl, assignor to The Stanley Works, New Britain Conn, a corporation of Connecticut Application April 3, 1941, Serial No. 386,599

3 Claims.

The present invention relates to safety shields adapted for use on bench grinders and the like and has for an object the provision of an improved shield which will eflectively protect the eyes of the operator from injury by flying abrasive particles and bits of metal.

Another object of the invention is to provide a grinder shield which can be adjusted to a desired height and to different angular positions with respect to the abraiding wheel of the grinder and yet cannot be adjusted to an inoperative or non-protecting position unless it is deliberately removed from the bench grinder.

A further object is to provide the above indicated advantages in a grinder shield and at the same time further provide the shield with a maximum field of vision so that the operator has a substantially unobstructedview of the work as it is introduced to the grinding wheel.

Still another object of the invention is to associate with the grinder an inspection light which includes means for concentrating the light on work located in the operating space protected by the shield, and which further includes a novel adjustable mounting by means of which the light bulbs can be readily removed and replaced.

Another object is to provide an inspection light wherein all the live leads are encased in moulded rubber or other insulating material and wherein the lamp brackets are themselves mounted on rubber to eliminate vibration of the light bulbs and to further insulate the current carrying members from any part of the shield.

Still another object is to provide a novel eye shield satisfying these and other not specifically mentioned objects which can be inexpensively manufactured and easily installed on bench grinding apparatus of existing design.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out more in detail hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the constructionhereafter set forth and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 shows an end profile view of a bench grinder on which is mounted an embodiment of an eye shield made in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a front profile view of the device illustrated in Figure 1; I

Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the shield substantially as shown in Figure 1 and differs therefrom only in its position of adjustment;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of one half of the light bulb mounting shown in Fig. '3; I

Fig. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional plan view of the shield illustrating the details of the shield adjustments and of the mounting for the inspection lights; and

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially through lines 6-6 of Fig. 4.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the letter B generally designates a bench grinder including a base l0 and a driving shaft l2 on .which there is mounted a conventional rotary abraiding or grinding wheel I4. A suitable flanged, arcuate band or guard l6 extends for a limited distance around a portion of the periphery of the wheel I4, and is provided with a mouth or open front which exposes the periphery and outer face of the wheel a suflicient amount' to allow a workpiece to be abraided thereon. The upper peripheral flange ll of the guard I6 is drilled and tapped so that a supporting bracket I 8 having an arcuated base 22 can be secured thereto as by the screws 20.

The bracket [8 has a pair of spaced ears 24 extending upwardly from the base. Pivoted between the ears, as by means of a bolt 21 and wing nut 28, is a standard having a head 25 and a stud or post 25 of square cross-section extending upwardly therefrom to slidably support an eye shield, indicated generally by the letter S and hereinafter described more in detail. The head 25 also includes integrally formed stops 30 and 32 which engage the outer peripheral flange 22 and thereby limit the angular movement of the stud 2B and the shield S to any desired position intermediate the vertical position illustrated in Fig. 3 and the inclined position approximately 45 thereto, illustrated in Figure 1.

posed on the shield by the stops makes it impos-- sible to adjust the shield to a non-protecting position without entirely removing the shield from the stud.

In order to longitudinally adjust the shield on the stud and thereby adjust the height of the shield above the wheel, the shield includes a rearwardly extending supporting arm 34. The arm is bifurcated longitudinally throughout its length and through a rearwardly disposed rectangular aperture 38 which is slidably supported on the stud 26 and adjustably secured thereto by means of another bolt and wing nut 38. As illustrated in Fig. the bifurcation of the arm 34 permits flexing between the two halves -35 thereof so that tightening of the bolt and wing nut 38 recludes a forwardly disposed sloping top wall 40' having located forwardly therein a rectangular opening 4| closed by a transparent panel preferably comprising a pane of shatterproof or safety glass 42 and a replaceable protecting panel of ordinary glass 44. The glass panels are secured against the lower surface of the housing by rubber tension clamps 46 of any suitable design. The panel 44 is located beneath the safety panel 42 and prevents scratching or etching of the shatterproof pane by flying particles of abrasive from the wheel. When the ordinary glass panel 44 becomes sufliciently scratched so that it no longer permits a clear view therethrough, it may be replaced at relatively low cost and the more expensive pane 42 may be continuously used regardless of the number of times the pane 44 is replaced. For greater strength and rigidity, a continuous peripheral skirt or flange 48 extends downwardly around the entire shield and the portion of the flange 48 adjacent the sides and bottom of the opening 4| is reinforced at intervals by ribs 58.- With the additional strength and rigidity provided by the ribs 50, the adjacent portions 01' the top wall 40 can be of relatively narrow width so as to obstruct as little as possible the operator's vision of operations he is carrying on beneath the shield.

In order to further clarify the operator's view of the work, an inspection light is associated with the shield for illuminating the work located therebeneath. For this purpose the top wall 40 of the shield is provided with a transversely arcuated recess 46 located intermediate the opening 4| and the arm 34. Positioned within the recess 45 is a polished reflector 52 which extends substantially the entire width of the shield and is secured to the rear portion of the peripheral flange 50 as by the screws 54. As illustrated in the drawings, the reflector is suitably curved to fit the arcuated portion 45 and is centrally notched in alignment with the arm 34, as at 56.

Referring more particularly to the inspection light, there is provided a light bulb mounting 58 which in the present instance is formed of two mating sections 59 secured together by a bolt and nut 52. Carried at the free end of the mounting are a pair of oppositely extending sockets I6, each of which is adapted to carry one of a pair of light bulbs L in axial alignment with eachother and in parallel alignment with the reflector 52. Each socket I8 is preferably of the bayonet type and includes the customary cylindrical wall provided with a light annular slot 11 adapted to secure a light bulb in the usual manner. Each of the sockets is provided with a radially extending lug 80 which are receivable as stance, constitute portions of the peripheral flange 58 which extends about the shield. One

. advantage of pivotally supporting the mounting 58 is that it provides for rotating the light bulbs L into the normal or effective position within the reflector substantially as shown in Fig. 3 and, at the same time, permits the sockets 15 to be rotated out of the reflector so as to facilitate the replacement of burned out bulbs therein.

In order to properly insulate the mounting 58 from the shield a pair of flanged rubber washers 64 space the bolt 60 from the shield, and an elongated rubber sleeve cooperates with the washers B4 to space the mounting 58 from the bolt other and with the peripheral surfaces of the apertures in the side walls 5| and the mounting 58 against which they bear. In this connection it will benoted the outer end of each washer 64 is flanged over by the tightening of the bolt and nut as at 65 so as to space and electrically insulate the bolt and nut from the outer surface of the walls 5|. The additional friction produced by the tightening of the nut provides suiflcient resistance so that the mounting, and consequently the light bulbs carried thereby cannot be jarred from their normal position oi. adjustment within the reflector. However, the resilience or the rubber washers permits the mounting to be manually moved to a new position of adjustment without loosening and retightening the bolt and nut 68.

As illustrated in Figs..4 and 6, the two halves 58 of the mounting are further provided with matched recesses 58 for receiving a notched rubber insulating tube 10. In this connection it will be noted that the mounting is provided with a suitable lip 59 which mates with an annular groove 12 in the tube 10 so as to prevent removal of the tube from the mounting. Extending through the tube 1.0 are the usual rubber insulator conductors 14 for supplying current to the I light bulb sockets 16.

. limit the angular adjustment that the shield cannot be moved to an inoperative or non-protecting position without removing it bodily from the wheel. Inasmuch as the lamps L extend out wardly to either side of the wheel they flood the edge and opposite side faces of the wheel with light so as to avoid shadows on the work, whether the work is applied to the edge of the wheel or to either side face thereof, thereby facilitating accurate grinding.

Furthermore, as heretofore indicated, the pivotal lamp mounting 58 provides for pivoting the bulbs L away from the reflector 52 and thereby provides means for easily removing and replacing the light bulbs. A further advantage of the inspection light is produced by the rubber washers 64 and 86 which, in addition toautomatlcally insulating the lamp mounting 58 from the shield also absorb rather than transmit shield vibrations to the bulbs and thereby increase their life.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof. it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the language used in the following claims is intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

I claim as my invention:

1. In combination, a safety shield including a generally rectangular top wall having a transparent panel, an arm extending rearwardly from said panel and including a pair of spaced vertical side walls having apertures therein, an

electric light, mounting having an opening therethrough and including a pair of axially aligned sockets extending in opposite directions therefrom, a pair of flanged resilient insulating washers located in said apertures and of greater lengths than said apertures so as to extend therebeyond. a resilient insulating sleeve in said opening and of greater length than said opening as to extend therebeyond, a bolt extending through said washers and sleeve for pivotally supporting said light mounting. and a nut on said bolt for securing the same in place and compressing said washers and sleeve axially;

2. In combination, an eye shield including a top wall having a transparent panel covering the forwardly disposed opening therein, an arm extending rearwardly from the panel for adiustably supporting same, an electric light mounting including a pair of axially aligned sockets extending longitudinally of the panel adjacent the rear wall thereof, and means pivotally mounting said electric light mounting on said rearwardly. extending arm including a pivot pin extending through aligned openings in said mounting and said arm, and resilient insulating means intermediate of said pin and the openings'in said arm for insulating said mounting from said panel and for normally holding said mounting against pivotal movement relative to the panel.

3. In combination, a generally rectangular integral eye shield having a top wall provided with a sight opening therein, a peripheral flange about the top wall, and an integral supporting arm extending rearwardly from the rear wall of the shield intermediate the sides of the latter, said shield having on its under side and rearwardly of said sight opening and forwardly of said arm a transversely extending recess, and the rear end of said arm having means for adjustably connecting the shield to a supporting member; a transparent panel secured in said sight opening, a reflector mounted in said transverse recess, an adjustable light supporting mounting pivotedin said arm rearwardly of said recess and extending. forwardly through said reflectorinto said recess, and a pair of oppositely extending aligned, light sockets carried by said mounting and located within said reflector.

CEDRIC POWERS. 

